Why is it America's role to bring peace to the middle east? Why should our people die for people who hate us? Ah, I got it! Americans are expendable to achieve the ends of others! Why didn't I think of that?
With the truce in the week-long Gaza war, Barack Obama is being prompted by right and left to re-engage and renew U.S. efforts to solve the core question of Middle East peace.
Before he gets reinvolved in peacemaking, our once-burned president should ask himself some hard questions.
Is real peace between Palestinians and Israelis even possible?
Is there any treaty that could be agreed to, or imposed, that would be acceptable to Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank, let alone to Hamas, which has emerged from its defiance of one of the most intensive bombardments of modern time...
Err, "American exceptionalism"? Human decency? The responsibilities of being the leader of the free world? The security of Israel? Cheap oil?